In this month’s episode, the upcoming papal encyclical on ecology and the environment, to be released on June 18, takes top billing. As Vatican-watcher John Allen points out, there are likely to be a number of false claims in the media when Laudato Sii is released. The panel — James, Helen, Don and Gavin — also talk about the changing demographics of Kiwis, new measures to hold bishops accountable for failing to protect children and the “Yes” vote to same-sex marriage in Ireland. And the show ends with a reflection on TV’s 1980s hard man Mr T and his Christian faith. Enjoy the show.

In the July 2014 episode of The 15th Station, Lucy, James and Gavin venture from the sad to the joyous, the sacramental to the sporting, the saintly to the shady. Pope Francis’s meeting with sex abuse victims, the promotion of Baptism for students in Catholic schools and the Pope’s excommunication of the mafia are all covered in this show. The panel also covers the papal World Cup Final — between Benedict’s Germany and Francis’s Argentina — and discusses the efforts that may lead to New Zealand’s first saint. Learn more about the film How Far is Heavenby clicking here.

In the May 2013 episode of The 15th Station, James, Helen, Don and Gavin talk about the latest statistics that show the Catholic Church is growing faster than the rate of population growth, and the number of seminarians, priests and bishops is growing with it. Another thing that’s growing is the number of relationships New Zealanders can consider marriage, with the passage of legislation allowing same-sex marriage. Some of the arguments against such moves are outlined in this piece, What is Marriage?, which Don mentions in the show. The panel also discusses Pope Francis’s upcoming trip to South America, the Church’s view on economic matters and the story that’s gone viral — a three-year-old Colombian boy who celebrates Mass.

It’s been a big month for Pope Benedict — the man himself, and a caricature of him in New Zealand. The panel chats in this Christmas episode of The 15th Station about the Pope’s new book on Jesus, Benedict featuring in an ad for a power company that seems to promote gay marriage (and the reaction from the Church to that), as well as his new document looking at Catholic identity. There’s also reflection on a New Zealand Anglican bishop getting a new post at the Vatican and a new take on the New Evangelisation.

The magic of the Internet brings Don, James and Gavin together for this month’s episode of The 15th Station, in which the papal butler’s conviction, the sale of a Catholic school to a Muslim education trust and the German bishops’ ruling that Catholics who stop paying a Church tax can’t receive the sacraments all get a run. That story has us a bit stumped, so this blog post (or this one) can offer a more learned exposition of the situation. We also chat about the changing religious landscape in Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, and revisit the evolving story of the fresco restoration fail.

The panel this month analyses the contentious provisions in President Obama’s health care legislation requiring Catholic hospitals and institutions to provide health insurance covering contraception and sterilisation procedures*, efforts by Auckland businessmen to open a 15-storey brothel in the central city and the Pope’s concerning admission that Christianity risks oblivion. But, in the good news of the month, Station 15/Icon Media has become an affiliate of the international Catholic podcasting network, SQPN. We’re really excited to be part of the SQPN stable, an extension of the great relationship we’ve had with Father Roderick Vonhogen over the past three years or so.

* This episode was recorded before President Obama’s announcement of changes to the health care legislation in response to the bishops Church’s concerns

In this month’s episode of The 15th Station, our transTasman panel talks about Pope Benedict’s recent trip to his homeland, the uncertainty over Christchurch’s Catholic cathedral and the hype surrounding the death of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. We also touch on two very different stories: A priest in Ireland returning to ministry after being falsely accused of rape and an Anglican church in Wellington portraying Jesus as an rugby-ball toting All Black. All in a month’s work.

In this week’s episode of The 15th Station, the panel spans the Tasman Sea — and so do the stories up for discussion. In Australia, a senator has used parliamentary privilege to name a priest accused of rape 50 years ago. In New Zealand, Rugby World Cup fever seems to have carried over into the Church. We also talk about eating with the Pope, and changing the way we record the date. All in our inaugural international episode.

In our fourth birthday episode, we discuss the ongoing saga in Ireland as the Church there continues to battle through the sex abuse crisis and its fallout. Stinging criticism from the Irish Prime Minister and the Archbishop of Dublin’s response are on the agenda, as is the subsequent suggestion that priests should be forced to disclose confessions of those admitting to having abused children. On a happier note, we preview this week’s World Youth Day in Madrid and check out a new website causing a stir in Germany.

A prominent New Zealand lawyer calls for a “Vatican II-type council”, Pope Benedict sends his first tweet and a perfumier in the United States launches “Benedictus” cologne to mark the 60th anniversary of Pope Benedict XVI’s ordination to the priesthood. Those stories, plus a bishop’s quest for vocations and a government official sticking up for Christians in this month’s episode of The 15th Station.

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The 15th Station is our active monthly news podcast. We get a panel of Kiwi Catholics together to provide a Catholic perspective on the news and current events of the month.

Catechiwi is our archived catechesis podcast where we get a guest theologian from around the country or the world to speak on an aspect of the Catholic Faith.

Ignition leverages our partnerships with organisations like Hearts Aflame to provide a back catalogue of amazing lectures and talks from international speakers. We divide these talks up into multi-part podcasts.